Studying Arcane Magic
So you want to learn arcane magic as a human of the marches during the Great Silence... First you must find a teacher and that means going to one of the large towns on the March Sea. There are wizarding schools in Kingsbridge and Fallcrest. The cost of attending the schools include your room and rations for a nine moon period - late summer / early fall are generally when there is no instruction to give the teachers a break and because many students have to be away to attend court or harvest. Those students from modest means stay at the school's dormitory hall. Those wealthy students usually have thri own rooms at a nearby lodging house. The pay you pay to the school is only for instruction. Room and rations as well as materials are an extra price. A good place to find writing materials is the local Gizadi temple if there is one nearby. The school will sometimes will have a small library of books that the students can read/copy while in the room (books are never lent out as they're far too valuable). Teachers will also, sometimes, permit a student to copy from their own, personal library either in part or on the whole. Gizadi libraries will let a student read at their temple and have writing materials if they agree to copy pages for them Generally the rate is if you copy 5 pages you can receive a full Scribe's Case from them. If you copy 20 pages you'll be given a new Pilgrim's Journal. Lessons happen twice a day and last for 2-3 hours each. Once in the morning and another in the afternoon. By the 4th bell of the day (3 o'clock ish) classes are done and students can go about their own business. This may mean going to work at the school to off-set their fees or at a job in the town for those who need the money. Exams happen at the instructor's whim and are practical - involving the use or theory of magic. Those who fail are given extra work to catch up or are expelled from his class for the day or week. The other option is to find is to find a private teacher who will invite you into their home for lessons. This is done mostly peacemeal - paying for the day's lesson with a few coins or in trade. This is by far the cheapest way to learn arcane magic but far less reliable. The boarding houses near the school become small clubs where those who live there spend their time. They have usually a few students and some staff members to cook and clean. These boarding houses usually have rooms large enough to accomodate two people and the occasional single-occupancy room for the more senior students or the 'House Master'. It's the House Master who determines who can live within the house and who is also responsible for paying the staff and maintaining the house itself. Houses are passed from master to master over the years - usually within the noble or march or families and or cabal, etc. These boarding houses became the foundations of Cabal and Arcane Guilds. At the time of the silence, humans have learned the basics of arcane magic but the gnomes did not teach them more than 2nd level spells - maybe 3rd if they prove themselves responsible enough to handle such power. Then the skies burned and the humans were denied divine magic from the gods. They were also quickly denied any advanced arcane magical training in the hopes to stop the mistake from the Ishtari Empire from happening again. Example A Trip to Kingsbridge